As soon as Louise Proust joined the BNEM (Bureau National des étudiants en école de management - National Office for Management School Students) in July 2020, she quickly became actively involved.
As a Year 1 Master in Management student, she has been a member of the BNEM Executive Board since August 2020, along with Sébastien Bourjac and Paco Bessan Seoane, and is a member of the Charter and Certification sub-committee. She has worked closely with Management to apply the BNEM's "Charter of Student Responsibility against Discrimination and Violence" across all Excelia's Schools and programmes.
A Charter sub-committee... can you tell us more about it?
Within the BNEM there was already a Gender Equality Committee. However, since last August, many more students have become involved, which is why we have created a sub-committee especially for our Charter and Certifications.
Because, in addition to the Charter, we would like to introduce some kind of recognition for schools that organise their events according to the values we hold dear: Tolerance, Respect, Equality.
How did you come to join the BNEM?
Since arriving at Excelia last year, I have been actively involved in the Clubs and Associations, completing a SCAP module for the LR Beach Cup. Outside of school I have been a volunteer for Afev, a national association that fights against educational and social inequalities.
It was because of various posts that I saw on social media last summer that I decided to join the BNEM, which is in addition to my role, this year, as secretary of the BDE.
How did you go about drawing up the Charter?
It is important to remember that the creating of a charter is what motivated the founding of the BNEM, as Business Schools decided to take action against stereotyping.
Work on it began as early as January 2020. It is a project that I was eager to get involved in, both as a member of the Executive Board and of the sub-committee.
I worked closely with representatives from various departments including Management, Diversity, Communications, Clubs and Associations, etc. to adapt the BNEM inter-school Charter so that Excelia students could make it their own.
Part 1 of the Charter defines offences and crimes related to sexism, discrimination, and violence, and Part 2 outlines commitments. Is there a reason for this?
Yes, it seemed important to us that when people read the definitions, they say to themselves: "Oh my goodness!", because, in some cases, there is a problem in identifying the facts.
So, starting with definitions and sanctions means putting names to them and reminding people of the law. This Charter is a first step and we hope that the initiative will spread to all schools.
For example, the week of the 8th March, the BNEM is organising a week dedicated to raising awareness and inciting responsibility to combat discrimination and violence.
Do you have a final word for our community?
Students of Excelia, sign the Charter! But sign it with full knowledge of all the facts, so make sure you read it. It's now available on your WebGaïa.
How to sign the charter?
